Thursday, March 20, 2008

Right up front: Ferruccio Codutti’s Monster S4

In our opinion, Ferruccio Codutti's Monster S4 doesn't really look very nice, but as a piece of engineering art, it just might work...!Pics: Motociclismo

This heavily modified Ducati Monster S4, which we saw on Motociclismo, is the work of one Ferruccio Codutti, who, it seems, is a master craftsman in working with aluminium. This one-off special, commissioned by one of Codutti’s customers, took about one full year to build.

The Monster has been completely restyled and er…, we don’t know if we like the end result very much – it looks a bit awkward and unfinished. The front suspension, which looks like it’s been taken off a Vyrus 985, is much more interesting than the bike’s styling. Codutti designed the entire front end himself, after studying other bikes with similar front ends and even the Elf Honda 500 GP racer! The Monster chassis has also been modified in order to work with the new front swingarm.

Its makers say the bike took almost one full year to build...

Because of the space needed by the front suspension, the original radiator had to be replaced with twin radiators placed under the engine. The custom-built exhaust comes from Mivv, while three-spoke wheels are Marvic items. Can’t say we like the bike much – not to look at least. However, as an example of engineering diligence, Codutti’s modded Monster just might work…